New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals: 3 key matchups

The New Orleans Saints are riding a seven-game win streak into Cincinnati, and each successive win has felt a little different from the last, with the team proving it can win in a variety of ways.

Perhaps the biggest challenge this week will be staying sharp after coming off back-to-back emotional wins against NFC powerhouses. The Bengals are reeling a bit after their hot start, but they are still in the thick of the AFC playoff race and should not be taken lightly.

Here are three things to watch out for this week in Cincinnati.

Saints RB Alvin Kamara vs. Bengals RB Joe Mixon

(Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Saints RB Alvin Kamara vs. Bengals RB Joe Mixon

Okay, okay, Kamara and Mixon will never be on the field at the same time Sunday, so this technically is not a matchup. But it is worth noting that two of the game’s most promising young running backs will at least be playing in the same stadium this week.

Kamara and Mixon were both part of a talented 2017 running back draft class that also included Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt, Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette, Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey, Pittsburgh’s James Conner and Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook.

At this point, just about everyone is familiar with what Kamara brings to the table as a player. He is putting up even better numbers than he did in his Rookie of the Year season, scoring 12 touchdowns and gaining nearly 1,000 yards from scrimmage in the first half of 2018.

Mixon is coming on this year after a somewhat disappointing rookie season.

He had to miss two games, but is still on pace to finish with nearly 1,200 yards rushing. Saints coach Sean Payton remembers being enamored with Mixon in the pre-draft process, and thinks he is just now starting to show the skill that made him such a highly-regarded prospect.

“You're seeing some of his best football now and you watch him,” Payton said. “He's strong (and) he has real good vision and burst. He's something, and he'll be one of the keys for us and how we're able to defend him, because he's a young guy that I think is just coming into his own and putting up great numbers.”

Bad pass defenses vs. Good (and great) quarterbacks

(AP Photo/ Michael Conroy)

Bad pass defenses vs. Good (and great) quarterbacks

It feels odd to type this about a game between two playoff caliber teams: This game will feature the NFL’s two worst pass defenses, as measured by yards per game. The Saints are yielding 311.4 passing yards per game, and only Cincinnati’s 319.4 yards per game has been worse.

Sounds like a good day to be either Andy Dalton or Drew Brees — well, it is rarely a bad day to be Brees, but that is especially true this season.

Brees enters the Cincinnati contest with an NFL-best 18:1 touchdown to interception ratio. The future Hall-of-Famer is playing at arguably the highest level of his career, and that is not good news for a Bengals squad that has given up 350-plus passing yards in five of its eight games this season.

Dalton is putting together his best statistical season since 2013, when he threw for career highs in touchdowns (33) and yards (4,293). Through eight games, Dalton has 17 touchdowns and 2,102 passing yards to his credit, and his 92.8 passer rating would be the second best mark of his career if he is able to keep it up.

It is worth noting here that Dalton's top target, A.J. Green, was officially ruled out for Sunday's game.

Dalton has also struggled with ball security to a degree this season. He has turned the ball over at least once in five of Cincinnati’s eight games this season, and he threw four interceptions in a September loss to Carolina.

New Orleans has intercepted just four passes this season, but has forced seven turnovers in its last five games.

Watch Saints QB Drew Brees moments after beating the Rams

Saints vs. The weather ... and the clock?

(Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Saints vs. The weather ... and the clock?

Sunday’s forecast in Cincinnati calls for a high of 45 degrees, which means it is time to look back at the Saints’ recent performance in outdoor, cold-weather venues: New Orleans is 5-7 under coach Sean Payton when the game-time temperature is 45 degrees or less.

But wait! Since getting shellacked 34-7 by Seattle on a 41-degree Monday night in 2013, the Saints have won two games in a row in colder temperatures. They gave the Bills a 47-10 beatdown on a 42-degree day last year, and benefitted from three Drew Brees touchdown passes on a 44-degree Monday night in Chicago in 2014.

History, in this case, probably should not matter. This particular Saints team seems adaptable to any weather conditions, with a standout offensive line and an ability to lean on either Brees or its two-headed running back combination of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.

One additional oddity that Payton pointed out Friday: This will be the Saints’ first time playing in the noon time slot since Week 3. They have played their last five games at 3:05 or later.

“So getting our rest and being ready right when our feet hit the ground Sunday morning will be important,” Payton said.

Does shaking up the routine really matter that much, though? Defensive end Cameron Jordan did not seem to think so.

“A game is a game,” Jordan said. “I’d meet you in the streets to play our game. We’re war ready at any given time. … Time is irrelevant.”